North Korea Still Conducting Missle Tests In Defiance Of International Pressure

Wednesday, North Korea conducted yet another ballistic missile test, a mere two days before the Presidents of China and the U.S. are scheduled to meet to discuss the rogue State.

South Korea's joint chiefs of staff told reporters that the flew about 60 km into the East Sea. The launch is a flagrant violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, but North Korea remains undeterred in both it's actions and sharp rhetoric.

U.S. Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson released an odd, short statement on Wednesday saying, "North Korea launched yet another intermediate range ballistic missile. The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment." The length and tone of the statement seem to reinforce, rather than depart from from what Tillerson has called a 20 year failed approach to diplomacy.

Although tensions have ebbed and flowed over the years between North Korea and the international community, little has succeeded in gaining any type of cooperation in reducing hostilities.

World conditions may be favorable to approaching North Korea.—@AdamPaulMoore

The time may be right for the U.S. to leverage it's relationship with China to gain North Korean cooperation, but President Trump and Secretary Tillerson maintain a posture of "all sticks and no carrots," as noted by Cato Institute Senior Fellow, Ted Galen Carpenter. In keeping with it's well-covered "tough guy" persona, the Trump Administration continues the terse, heavy-handed policy of offering little incentive for cooperation from China or North Korea.

While it goes against the long-standing American foreign policy tenants of "speak softly and carry and big stick" and "peace through strength," current world economic conditions may be favorable to approaching North Korea through incentive diplomacy.